Nadiya Bakes episode 7 – Biscuits and Bites: Nadiya shares her favourite biscuits and bites to have with a cup of tea, from raspberry amaretti biscuits to chocolate florentines and insanely wicked chicken doughnuts.
Nadiya Hussain shares her favourite biscuits and bites to snack on at any time of the day. She believes that a homemade biscuit is one of life’s greatest pleasures, so she kicks off with her deceptively simple but extremely beautiful Italian-inspired amaretti biscuits.
They are so easy to make and the perfect treat to have with a cup of tea. Next, Nadiya breaks all the rules with her insanely wicked but ridiculously tasty chicken doughnuts, deep fried for the ultimate crunchy exterior and topped with a spicy savoury dust. Who says doughnuts have to be sweet?
Also on the menu is a colourful tray bake, laced with ginger and turmeric for the perfect bite-sized pick me up. Finally, Nadiya shares her recipe for her chocolate-dipped florentines. Biscuit meets brandy snap – these little delights are elegant, simple and moreish.
And Nadiya showcases the skills of young baker Lungi Mhlanga, who is leading the doughnut revival from her London pop-up.
Nadiya Bakes episode 7 – Biscuits and Bites
Raspberry amaretti biscuits
Nadiya’s chewy, almond and raspberry amaretti have a fresh raspberry hidden in the middle. They make a lovely gift, but are best eaten straight away.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5 and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Grease them very lightly to allow the paper to stick to the tray.
- Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until firm. Add the sugar and fold through gently using a spatula or metal spoon. Add the almonds, raspberry powder and almond extract and mix thoroughly until you have a smooth paste.
- Take a heaped tablespoon of mixture, about 40g/1½oz if you want to be precise, and shape it into a flat round disc. Wrap the disc around a fresh raspberry to form a ball shape, pinching it together underneath so that the raspberry is completely enclosed. The paste may crack a bit along the top, but don’t worry.
- Place the icing sugar in a large bowl, drop each biscuit ball into the icing sugar and roll around until fully and generously coated. Place seam-side down on the baking trays, making sure they are about 2cm/¾in apart, as they will spread a little during baking.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes until they are just lightly golden. Leave to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Turmeric and ginger diamonds
Nadiya’s vegan turmeric, ginger and tahini traybake is Lebanese-inspired and delicious! Topped with pine nuts and sesame seeds, it’s perfect with a stong cup of coffee.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 20x30cm/8x12in brownie tin with baking paper.
- Place the tahini straight into the base of the lined tin and, using a pastry brush, brush the tahini up the sides and edges until they are completely covered.
- Place the flour, sugar, ginger, turmeric and baking powder in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Make a well in the centre, add the olive oil, then pour in the boiling water and add the stem ginger. Mix until you have a beautifully fragrant yellow cake mixture, thick enough to pour. Pour the mixture into the tin – it should all settle into a smooth, even layer. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and pine nuts evenly over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before using a small serrated knife to cut diagonal lines in opposite directions, still in the tin, to form diamonds. Brush all over with the syrup from the stem ginger. Leave to cool completely in the tin before serving.
Ginger and almond florentines – Nadiya Bakes episode 7 recipes
These gorgeous chewy, chocolate coated florentines make a beautiful gift, if you can bear to part with them!
Traditionally they have one side covered in chocolate, but that doesn’t agree with me – where am I supposed to hold it without getting melted chocolate all over my fingers? So I like to half dip. No messy fingers and I get to taste the florentines in two different ways.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line and very lightly grease 3 baking trays. To make the florentines, place the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved and there are no more granules. Take off the heat and add the flour, ginger, almonds and orange zest and mix to thoroughly combine.
- Take teaspoons of the mixture and pop 6 equal mounds on each tray, leaving plenty of room for them to spread during baking. Bake for 8 minutes. As soon as they are light golden in the centre and just slightly darker on the outside, they are ready. They are still fragile when very hot so leave to rest for about 5 minutes before you even think about moving them.
- Have a wire rack ready and gently, using a palette knife, transfer them one-by-one to cool on the rack. Once they have cooled completely, they are ready to dip.
- Melt the chocolate in separate bowls. This can be done by placing the chocolate bowls over saucepans of gently simmering water, making sure the bowls do not touch the water, or in the microwave in short bursts. Make sure to put the dark chocolate in a bowl deep enough for dipping the florentines. Add the melted white chocolate in swirls directly on top of the melted dark chocolate, then use a skewer to create swirls.
- Take each biscuit and dip half in, then leave to set on the trays with the baking paper that they baked on initially. Leave the chocolate to set and they are ready to eat!